This invention relates to a method for processing a light-sensitive silver halide photographic material (hereinafter referred to as a light-sensitive material), more particularly to a method for processing a light-sensitive silver halide photographic material which has omitted the water washing processing step and can give a light-sensitive material with little contamination generated on its surface and also improved in stain caused by the sensitizing dye.
Light-sensitive materials are generally processed after imagewise exposure according to the processing steps of color developing, bleaching, fixing, stabilizing, bleach-fixing, water washing, etc. In the water washing step subsequent to the processing with a processing solution having fixing ability, a thiosulfate which is a compound reactive with a silver halide to form a water-soluble complex, other water-soluble silver complexes and further sulfites or metabisulfites as preservative may be contained in or attached on the light-sensitive material to be entrained into the water washing step, thereby leaving deleterious influences on the storability of images if the amount of washing water is small, as is well known in the art. Accordingly, for improving such a drawback, the salts as mentioned above are washed away from the light-sensitive material by use of a large amount of running water in washing after processing with a processing solution having fixing ability. However, in recent years, due to economical reasons such as shortage in water resources, increased costs in sewage fees and utilities as well as environmental reasons, it has been desired to employ processing steps in which the amount of washing water is reduced and countermeasures against pollution are taken.
In the prior art, as such countermeasures, for example, a method has been proposed in which water is permitted to flow countercurrently with the use of a water washing tank made to have a multi-stage structure as disclosed in West German Pat. No. 29 20 222 and S. R. Goldwasser "Water Flow Rate in Immersion-Washing of Motion Picture Film", SMPTE. Vol. 64, pp. 248-253, May (1955), etc.
Also known is a method in which a preliminary water washing is provided immediately after the fixing bath to reduce the polluting components contained in or attached on the light-sensitive material and entrained into the water washing step and also reduce the amount of washing water.
However, these techniques are not the processing methods in which no washing water is employed at all. Thus, under the situation in recent years, where water resources are exhausted and the cost for washing with water is increasing due to cost-up of crude oil, this problem is becoming more serious.
On the other hand, there is the processing method in which stabilizing processing is performed immediately after photographic processing without washing with water. For example, silver stabilizing processing with a thiocyanate has been known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,004. However, this method involves the drawback of causing contamination on the surface of a light-sensitive material after drying, because a large amount of inorganic salts is contained in the stabilizing bath. Further, other disadvantages such as generation of stain and accompaniment of deterioration of dye images during prolonged storage proved to be involved when these stabilizing processings were performed.